A look at eye surgery in New Zealand and its many, often colourful, practitioners. This book throws new light on eye surgery from our colonial days to the present. Some early surgeons were itinerants who operated in hotel rooms and advertised like snake-oil salesmen. In contrast, others were at the top of the specialty and were huge contributors to medical education in New Zealand and Australia. Since the 1990s there has been a remarkable ascent of academic ophthalmology, resulting in New Zealand ophthalmologists and ophthalmic researchers becoming recognised internationally. It is a specialty which is serving New Zealanders superbly.